Andy Murray attains highest ranking in 5 years after securing first ATP Challenger triumph since 2005

Andy Murray won his first title on the ATP Challenger Tour since 2005 after beating Tommy Paul 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 in the final of the Open Aix Provence on Sunday.

Murray entered the tournament in Provence, France following a disappointing first-round exit at the Madrid Open, where he was beaten by Italian qualifier Andrea Vavassori in straight sets.

The Scot was seeded fifth at the Open Aix Provence and reached the final following wins over Gael Monfils, Laurent Lokoli, Luca van Assche and Harold Mayot.

Here, he was up against top seed and World No. 17 Tommy Paul. The American started the match strongly and won the opening set 6-2. However, Murray staged a fightback in the second set and won it 6-2 to level the match and force it into a decider.

The Scot found momentum and produced a dominant display in the final set to win 6-1 and clinch his first tennis title of any kind since 2019, when he won the European Open in Antwerp.

It was also Murray's third title on the ATP Challenger Tour and his first since 2005, when he won the Binghamton Challenger by beating Alejandro Falla in the final. The Scot's victory also marked his first ever Challenger title on clay.

Murray's win in Provence will see him rise ten spots up to 42nd in the ATP rankings when the new set of rankings come out on Mondy. This will be the former World No. 1's best ranking since 7 May 2018, when he was ranked 39th before his hip replacement surgery.

Andy Murray has won eight out of 14 tour-level matches in 2023

Andy Murray in action at the Madrid Open

Andy Murray has won eight of 14 matches so far on the 2023 ATP Tour. While the Scot is yet to win a title this season, he managed to reach the final of the Qatar Open before losing to Daniil Medvedev. The 35-year-old also reached the third round of the Australian Open, beating Matteo Berrettini and Thanasi Kokkinakis.

Murray is yet to win a tour-level match on clay this season, losing to Alex de Minaur and Andrea Vavassori at the Monte-Carlo Masters and Madrid Open respectively.

Following his triumph in Provence, the Scot is next scheduled to take part in the Italian Open in Rome. He will compete at the Masters 1000 event for the first time since 2017. Murray previously won the tournament in 2016, defeating Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-3 in the final.